We are working hard to introduce an exciting new feature to World of Warcraft in patch 4.3: the Raid Finder system. While it presents unprecedented technical hurdles and may change before it’s released, we wanted to provide you with an early look at what we hope to accomplish, and share some details that we’ve worked out, which will lend some insight as to how the new feature is planned to work.

So what is the Raid Finder? It will be a brand new grouping feature that superficially works much like the Dungeon Finder. Instead of five-player dungeons, the Raid Finder is designed to help players quickly and easily form a pick-up raid for a specially tuned version of the current tier of raid content: the Dragon Soul raid. It’s not intended to replace organized raiding though. You’ll still need friends and guild members to help you conquer the toughest raiding challenges that patch 4.3 has to offer.

As we currently plan to roll out the Raid Finder feature in patch 4.3, level-85 players will be able to use it to access a 25-player version of the Dragon Soul raid dungeon, which will culminate in a glorious battle against Deathwing himself. Dragon Soul will be split into three different difficulties. The Raid Finder provides access to a new tier of difficulty, which in this case has split the raid into two wings, each containing four boss encounters. Meanwhile, raiders will still need to join with friends and guildmates to face the more challenging normal and heroic versions of the raid, since the Raid Finder cannot be used to access those higher difficulty levels. Naturally, because they’re harder to defeat, the normal and heroic version of Dragon Soul will drop more powerful lootalong with prestigious rewards such as achievements, titles, and epic mounts. Rich rewards still await those who face the Raid Finder version, which we hope will introduce the thrills and epic experience of raiding to a broader audience than ever before.

You can access the Raid Finder through the ‘Raid’ button in the menu at the bottom of the default user interface. The Raid Finder should feel familiar to Dungeon Finder users. Just fire it up, select your class role, click the ‘Find Raid’ button, and get ready to face Deathwing’s jaw of doom.

FAQ

Q. Raids aren’t dungeons. Who will keep things organized?

A. A Raid Finder raid will require someone to queue as leader. The Raid Finder leader will have a very limited set of powers and cannot change loot type, nor do they have the ability to arbitrarily kick people from the raid. They do have the ability to mark targets and use /raid warning, and can promote other players to be leads as well. To be most successful, each Raid Finder group should have at least one leader who will explain the fights, assign raid markers, and make the tough calls, like who the main tank and off-tanks are.

Q. How will loot be distributed?

A. Automatic rolls and the Need Before Greed loot rules will apply in Raid Finder raids, just as they do in Dungeon Finder instances. Also, while Dungeon Finder raids aren’t locked, you are only eligible for loot from a boss once per week. This means that if you were present for the defeat of a boss, whether you receive loot or not, then you will automatically pass on loot that drops during later attempts on that boss during the same week.

Q. How will Raid Finder loot differ?

A. Loot acquired through the Raid Finder, including tier set pieces, will be of a lower item level than items acquired from normal or heroic mode versions of the Dragon Soul raid, and its appearance may differ. Also, there are certain items, as well as components for legendary weapons, which will not drop in Raid Finder raids. While individual bosses will not yield Valor Points as they would in other versions of the raid, you can still earn 250 Valor Points for beating the final boss in each wing of the instance.

Tier armor that drops in Raid Finder raids still provides set bonuses, and those bonuses are compatible with the higher item level versions of the armor available in the normal and heroic mode versions of the raid. None of these tier sets will be available for purchase from a vendor via Valor Points.

Q. Will there be an item level requirement to use the Raid Finder?

A. Yes, accessing raids via the Raid Finder will require that participating characters be level 85 and have attained a certain item level, to help ensure that they are prepared for the content they’ll be facing.

Q. Will the Raid Finder be cross-realm?

A. Yes, the Raid Finder will draw players from all realms. As with the Dungeon Finder, it will place some priority on grouping players from the same realm, though not at the cost of increased queue times.

Q. What kind of raid composition will the Raid Finder create?

A. Each Raid Finder raid will include two tanks, six healers, and seventeen damage dealers. As the raid is assembled, the Raid Finder will attempt to balance the group according to armor type, which should help ensure a healthy mix of melee and ranged dps.

Q. Why 25-player only?

A. A 25-player group is actually easier and faster to fill than a smaller group would be, and allows for greater flexibility in raid creation, all of which will help contribute to lower queue times. Also, 25-player raids are less subject to issues with composition or player connectivity.

The Raid Finder version of the Dragon Soul raid will be designed with pick-up raiding in mind. Normal and heroic difficulties will require the greater organization and teamwork found in guild raid groups.

Q. Will I get Call to Arms benefits when using the Raid Finder?

A. We don’t currently plan to apply Call to Arms benefits to the Raid Finder, though that may change in the future.

Q. Will I be locked to a raid I join through the Raid Finder?

A. Since the Raid Finder only offers access exclusively to a specially tuned version of the Dragon Soul raid instance, instance locks will not be enforced for that version. Instance locks will still be enforced for the normal and heroic versions of the raid.

Q. Can I queue with my friends in a party or raid?

A. Yes, you can queue for the Raid Finder individually, in a party, or in a raid. The Raid Finder can be a great tool to help fill those last few slots in a raid.

Q. I’m a dedicated raider with an organized group, what good is the Raid Finder to me?

A. Since instance locks aren’t in play, Raid Finder raids could provide a way for dedicated raiders to gear up alternate characters, fill gaps in their itemization, finish off elusive set bonuses, or just have some fun while preparing to face the normal or heroic version of the raid on the next reset.

Q. Why aren’t other raids available?

A. The Raid Finder is intended to help players experience the current tier of content.Also, many older raids don’t require a full complement of raiders, making the Raid Finder unnecessary. This is also the first rollout of the feature and we decided to start things simple, rather than potentially delay the feature’s introduction.

If the Raid Finder proves popular, more raid instances may be added to it in the future.

Q. Will Vote Kick still work in the Raid Finder?

A. Yes, though many of the same requirements and restrictions will be in place. For example, kicking too many times can result in a Vote Kick cooldown. Also, the thresholds are different, and several players will need to agree on kicking a candidate before the vote begins. Successful kick votes will require a significant number of Yes votes to pass.

Q. What happens if I leave a Raid Finder raid before it’s over?

A. Players who leave the Raid prematurely will receive a Deserter Debuff, though it will likely be of longer duration than the one applied to users of the Dungeon Finder. This debuff will only apply to the Raid Finder system.

While we’ve been previewing the visuals of tier 13 on the front page at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com, we thought you might be interested in the magics that lay imbued betwixt their stitches and plating. Behold -- the tier 13 set bonuses!

Please keep in mind that the below data could change during the PTR process prior to the release of patch 4.3.

Death Knight

Blood, 2P -- When an attack drops your health below 35%, one of your Blood Runes will immediately activate and convert into a Death Rune for the next 20 sec. This effect cannot occur more than once every 45 sec.

Blood, 4P -- Your Vampiric Blood ability also affects all party and raid members for 50% of the effect it has on you.

DPS, 2P -- Sudden Doom has a 30% chance and Rime has a 60% chance to grant 2 charges when triggered instead of 1.

DPS, 4P -- Runic Empowerment has a 25% chance and Runic Corruption has a 40% chance to also grant 710 mastery rating for 12 sec when activated.

Feral, 2P -- Pulverize now also grants your Mangle (Bear) critical strikes a 100% chance to trigger Savage Defense, and your Blood in the Water talent now causes Ferocious Bite to refresh the duration of your Rip on targets with 60% or less health.

Feral, 4P -- Frenzied Regeneration also affects all raid and party members. This effect cannot be triggered if you have been in Bear Form for less than 15 sec. In addition, your Stampede talent now grants two charges after using Feral Charge (Cat).

Restoration, 2P -- After using Innervate, the mana cost of your healing spells is reduced by 25% for 15 sec.

Restoration, 4P -- Your Rejuvenation and Regrowth spells have a 10% chance to Timeslip and have double the normal duration.

Hunter

2P -- Steady Shot and Cobra Shot generate double the amount of focus.

4P -- Your Arcane Shot ability has a chance to grant 30% haste to you and your pet for 10 sec.

Mage

2P -- Your Arcane Blast has a 100% chance, and your Fireball and Frostbolt spells have a 50% chance to grant Stolen Time, increasing your haste rating by 50 for 30 sec and stacking up to 10 times. When Arcane Power, Combustion, or Icy Veins expires, all stacks of Stolen Time are lost.

4P -- Each stack of Stolen Time also reduces the cooldown of Arcane Power by 7 sec, Combustion by 4 sec, and Icy Veins by 6 sec.

Paladin

Holy, 2P -- After using Divine Favor, the mana cost of your healing spells is reduced by 25% for 15 sec.

Healer, 2P -- After using Power Infusion or Divine Hymn, the mana cost of your healing spells is reduced by 25% for [10|23] sec. (10 sec for Discipline, 23 for non-Discipline.)

Healer, 4P -- Your Power Word: Shield has a 10% chance to absorb 100% additional damage and increase the mana granted by Rapture by 100%, and the duration of your Holy Word abilities is increased by 20%.

Shadow, 2P -- Shadow Word: Death deals an additional 55% damage, and reduces the damage you take from your own Shadow Word: Death when the target fails to die by 95%.

Shadow, 4P -- Your Shadowfiend and Shadowy Apparitions have a 100% chance to grant you 3 Shadow Orbs each time they deal damage.

Players ladder in StarCraft II for many reasons. Some compete
for the thrill of facing off against fellow players, win or lose. Others
fight for the satisfying glow that victory brings. For others still,
competition is simply about surpassing personal bests.

Whatever your reason for competing on the StarCraft II ladder, now you'll be able to keep track of your past ladder glories with the new Career page.

The Career page, accessed by clicking on the "Career" tab under
Leagues and Ladders, displays information about a player's ranking
history for all seasons (prior to the current season), as well as across
all ladders. The highest rank a player earns for each ladder will be
represented by a unique banner on the page commemorating the season,
league, and ladder bracket in which the rank was achieved. These banners
will also feature the milestone icon associated with the player's ranking.

There are two ways to view a player's ranking history. In the first,
players can see their entire career across every season in which they
ranked, and in every ladder. Clicking the "Entire Career" tab will
display reward banners for the best rankings they had for each season,
including both team and solo play. The banners are grouped by season,
and display in order according to the ladder they were earned in.
Players can also choose to view their ranking history in specific
ladders (1v1, 2v2, 3v3, and 4v4), to see their career accomplishments at
that level of play alone.

In total, 10 banners are displayed per page, after which additional
pages will populate similar to the Join Custom Games list. If a player
hasn't been ranked -- either in a specific ladder or in their entire
StarCraft II career -- a "No Career Finishes" message will display in
the center of the screen.

So how many of u are on a new character in d2? I made another amazon. Zhydaris: I’m trying out the Assassin at the moment, I always preferred non-melee classes in the past, I guess it’s time for a change! And yeah, it’s always a good time to roll a new character in D2!

Could you do me a favor and do a quick (unofficial of course) poll of how many in the D3 team who have played D2 on their spare time (not merely as research) in the last year? Thanks!Zhydaris: I cannot speak on behalf of the Dev Team because I’m located in the EU offices, but I saw a lot of people playing D2 recently in the EU Community Team office.

D2 will always have a place in my heart, as playing Diablo II for the first time when I was a kid made me think “Hey, that’s what I want to do when I’ll grow up”. And I’m pretty sure that every single one of my colleagues here feels the same way. We just love our games, both the old ones and the new ones.

The very beginning of the game is extremely linear and guided on purpose. We want anyone and everyone to be able to sit down and begin playing and enjoying the game. That means there’s a lot of thought put into a gentle, guided experience for the beginning of the game. But in all reality if you sit down and play Diablo II you’ll see the difficulty and linearity from the beginning of the game is pretty much the same. The game opens up a lot more later in Act I, and especially in Act II. The vast majority of you guys are going to breeze through Normal, and that’s ok, because most of the real character building and customization doesn’t even begin until Nightmare.

“They wanted to hold me, to keep watch over me – a prisoner in all but name. But I will NOT be held accountable for the sins of my father. My destiny will be my own.”- Wrathion, the Black Prince

The Contract

Patch 4.3 will offer the most deadly and experienced rogues the opportunity to finally play a central role in the fate of the world the rogue’s way: by manipulating key events from the shadows. Players will travel across continents to accomplish crucial missions of reconnaissance, burglary, infiltration and, of course, assassination. Those familiar with the events that unfolded in the Badlands since the Cataclysm struck may recall the story of Rheastrasza, the ambitious red dragon who acquired a black dragon egg and magically purified it, cleansing it of the Black Dragonflight’s corruption. While those events may lead to a more hopeful destiny for Azeroth, it will take cleverness, stealth, skill, and the help of a few friends to unravel the web of intrigue that will reveal what became of the egg… and determine the fate of Deathwing himself.

Wetwork

Rogues willing to do whatever is necessary to ignite a brighter future must first delve into the Dragon’s Soul raid dungeon to begin the quest line. Those who prove their prowess within will be set on a collision course with Ravenholdt Manor and the enigmatic Black Prince, Wrathion. This shadowy figure could be the key to victory for the mortal races, but what is his true agenda? Before the truth behind these mysteries are revealed, enterprising assassins will need to fight tense raid battles against Deathwing’s most powerful minions, and embark alone on perilous missions to seal the fate of the Black Dragonflight. The quest culminates in the earth-scorching execution of Deathwing himself and a shocking revelation about the true nature of the mission.

What’s in it for me?

Rogues who succeed will receive a paired set of daggers that will become increasingly lethal as their bearer progresses along the legendary quest. At the height of their strength, they will be imbued with the vile essence of the Old Gods, as well as the maddened fury of the Black Dragonflight -- bestowing great power upon their bearer. These powers include a stacking increase to Agility which builds until dark wings unfurl from the rogue’s back, removing the combo point cost and increasing damage of finishing moves for a short time. In addition, the wings which can be spread on command (with no combat benefit) to slow a rapid descent, allowing the rogue to slowly fall to the ground… or enact a little death from above! When it comes to dealing death, the Fangs of the Father promise legendary killing power to rogues of any specialization.

An incredible adventure and legendary rewards await. The future of all life on Azeroth hangs in the balance. Better get moving.